#td fluff

You don't understand how everyone is acting so cheerfully, excited about the upcoming festival. In fact, you don't understand how Darkwick isn't burning. The last thing you remember is the chaos that engulfed the island.

Why is everything so... normal now?

You bring your hands to your chest as you recall what unleashed the storm at the academy.

Kaito.

Your best friend, the shy boy who's always looking for excuses to ask you out or play the hero in front of you. Yes, even though he tries to disguise it clumsily, you're fully aware of his adorable attempts to get your attention.

You press your lips together and bite them so hard it hurts. You shift to sit more comfortably on the bench where you're seated, off to the side in Darkwick's courtyard, and bring your hands to your chest.

You miss him.

You miss him so much, and you're so confused that you feel like you could throw up right there.

You'll never get to see him smile again, or laugh, or get annoyed by Luca's things.

Oh, Kaito.

Plus, what the hell is going on? Everything is so strangely normal, as if the months hadn't passed. Maybe some stray anomaly has gotten hold of you and plunged you into a strange dream, or maybe—

"There you are!" You hear your name and turn to see who's calling you, surprised to see Luca, with his usual tanned skin without a scratch, his messy hair, and his bright gaze.

You don't know what's happening or why Luca seems normal now, but whatever it is, you don't want it to change. Luca sits next to you on the bench with a comfortable "oof."

"Luca," you mumble, looking away, bringing your hands to your face to wipe away the tears that dared to escape their place.

You try to hide it, but you fail miserably.

"Has something happened?" Again, Luca calls your name, and now his gaze softens. He moves closer to you on the bench and pulls out a spotless handkerchief from his uniform pocket. "Here, dry yourself with this."

You accept the handkerchief, dying of embarrassment that he caught you in a moment of vulnerability, but you wipe away the tears and fiddle with the handkerchief between your fingers, not knowing what to say, unable to look him in the eyes. Though you feel eternally grateful to see your friend there, safe and sound, calm, with you.

Luca sits next to you and says nothing more. Maybe he's good at these things and understands that the last thing you want right now is to talk. You thank him silently.

Until—

"Luca!"

You lift your head so quickly you think it might fall off at the sound of that familiar voice. What—? Impossible.

Kaito.

You must be dreaming because Kaito approaches you both running, his cheeks flushed from the effort and his brow furrowed, alternating his gaze between you and your friend, sitting there calmly beside you.

"Luca!" he repeats for the second time, fixing his gaze on him and pointing at him with his finger, annoyed. "How many times have I told you not to get so close to a girl?!"

You arch your eyebrows sharply, and Kaito finally looks at you.

You take a deep breath. Again, it's fucking impossible.

"Kaito, pointing at people is rude..." You don't even clearly hear Luca gently scolding... Kaito. Fuck, Kaito.

You murmur his name, and your hands tremble. What the hell is going on?

Kaito arrives in front of you both and focuses on you, giving you one of his beautiful smiles that from now on you're going to make sure to treasure.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kaito's voice softens, and he completely ignores Luca to focus on you. He furrows his brow a little and pouts in a way that now seems adorable to you as he looks at you.

You stand up from the bench and approach him, still stunned. Are you hallucinating? No, Luca seems to see him too.

"Kaito, this... where have you been?" you murmur, your hands and legs trembling, your heart pounding so hard against your ribs that you feel a bit dizzy.

"Huh? In the bathroom, I asked Luca to wait for me before coming to look for you, but as you can see, he ignored me! Haha...!" Kaito's tone sharpens when you take another step toward him. He steps back from you with a stumble, and his cheeks turn a deep red.

"Kaito, I told you making a girl wait so long out here isn't gentlemanly..." Whatever Luca is saying, you ignore it.

It doesn't matter. Not right now.

What if you're hallucinating both of them and you really don't have Luca or Kaito there? What if you're still sleeping? What if...?

There's only one way to dispel your doubts.

You take another step toward Kaito.

Kaito takes another step back and gives you a smile full of nerves; you catch him giving Luca a doubtful look—who has finally shut up—and wipes his palms against his pants. Has he always been this adorable? Like this, when you're close to him—why hadn't you noticed before how cute the blush on his ears looks when he talks to you? How endearing the way he shivers every time you're too close to him is.

"Hey, Kaito," you call him and tilt your head, realizing maybe you're acting weird.

"Y-y-y-yes?!" Kaito fixes his blue eyes on you and shivers again, but the corners of his lips pull upward, and his cheeks tint red. Have his freckles always made him look this handsome? Oh.

How blind you've been all this time.

"Can I give you a hug?"

Kaito's face colors in all shades of red at hearing your proposal.

His gaze flits between you and Luca, who seems rather amused, until he finally stammers a response.

"A-a-a hug?" he squeals as he always does. Aish, maybe today you'll go home with a bit of a headache.

You nod in response, and Kaito tries to process your words.

Mmm, okay, he's acting as if he's never had a girl's attention in his life, which seems weird to you because... why hadn't you seen him as this handsome until now? You love it.

Finally, he lets you, so you approach him and give him a strong, needy hug. Your nose itches when you feel his touch, and you press your face against his chest, inhaling his scent, furrowing your brow.

Hell, you've missed him so much.

But you're not going to cry now. Not while Kaito holds you in his arms, at first a bit confused, but now relaxed. His heart beats wildly against his chest, and you smile at the sound. He's alive. Maybe you've gone crazy, maybe you're not in reality, but none of that matters to you, because Kaito is alive.

"Hey... what's going on? I want a hug too."

You can't help but smile at Luca's words, and in the end, you burst into laughter and let Luca join your hug, because you never imagined yourself in this scene.

But you love it.

When you separate, you realize you have tears in your eyes, so you quickly turn around and try to wipe them away without the boys noticing, but you fail miserably.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kaito calls you, and you notice he takes a step closer to you.

Are you okay? You're more than okay. Fuck yes, you are.

"No, Kaito, just... I'm so glad to see you," you sigh again, and when Kaito smiles at you and wipes one of your tears with his thumb, you realize your heart is beating harder than it should.

"Don't be like that, something's wrong, hmm?" he whispers, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

Ah, it took losing him to realize he's the boy you want by your side for the rest of your days. And now that you have him in front of you, taking care of you as he always has, you promise yourself you'll never lose him again.